Tim O'Shea came to Athens on March 29, 2001 and vowed to take the Ohio men's basketball program to the next level. After the 2004-05 season marked one of the most memorable runs in school history - including a Mid-American Conference Tournament crown and a scare of Southeastern Conference champ Florida in the NCAA Tournament in 2005 - Bobcat fans found out exactly what that next level is all about.

In just six years, O'Shea has become the architect of an Ohio program that has made an impact within the MAC and on a national level. The last three seasons alone, O'Shea's Bobcats have compiled 59 wins, captured a MAC title and been named college basketball's "It" team by ESPN.Com.

O'Shea's first season on the sidelines at Ohio was highlighted by victories over DePaul and powerhouse North Carolina in Chapel Hill on national television. Then, in his second season at the helm, O'Shea led the Bobcats to a regular-season victory over Virginia and a spot in the MAC Tournament semifinals after the team posted a 12-6 conference record.

Following the 2002-03 season, standout forward Brandon Hunter became the first Bobcat selected in the NBA draft since 1995 when the Boston Celtics nabbed the Ohio big man in the second round. A year later, O'Shea faced the daunting task of replacing Hunter, leading sixth-man Sonny Johnson and three-point sharpshooter Steve Esterkamp. The 2003-04 Bobcats slipped to a 10-20 record, but bounced back the in 2004-05 for their memorable run to the NCAA Tournament.

The 2004-05 Bobcats captured significant non-conference victories against San Francisco, Butler and Detroit, then won 11 of their last 15 contests down the stretch. O'Shea kept the troops on task as they carried that momentum over to a four-game sweep of the competition in the MAC Tournament. The run ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Florida, but the `Cats didn't go down without a fight, as they nearly overcame a 20-point second-half deficit.

Ohio opened 2005-06 as with the moniker of collegiate hoops' "It" team and compiled 19 victories before falling to eventual league champion Kent State in the MAC Tournament semifinals. In the past two seasons the Bobcats have registered impressive victories against Cincinnati, Marist, Rhode Island, Samford and St. Joseph's and nearly upset Kentucky and Louisville.

The players O'Shea has coached at Ohio have proven to become winners in the classroom, as well. Twenty-Two of the 23 student-athletes who have completed their eligibility under O'Shea during their senior seasons have graduated.

His commitment to excellence, on and off the floor, is a product of the lessons he learned at several other Division I institutions. O'Shea's head coaching career began after extensive experience as an assistant in the Ivy League, Atlantic 10 and Big East.

O'Shea began his work on the bench as a graduate assistant at the University of Rhode Island and Boston College. His first full-time appointment came later that year at Yale, where he spent the next two seasons.

The next stop for O'Shea was a spot on Al Skinner's staff at Rhode Island. He spent nine seasons at URI, playing a key role in the Rams earning two NIT and two NCAA Tournament berths. A notable O'Shea recruit during this stint was current NBA star Cuttino Mobely.

In the spring of 1997, O'Shea returned to his alma mater. In four seasons at Boston College, O'Shea helped build the Eagles into the Big East regular-season and tournament champions in 2000-01. BC posted a 27-5 record and earned a No. 3 seed for the NCAA East Regional and finished with a No. 9 ranking in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) just two years after being ranked 246.

O'Shea was no stranger to success in the BC locker room. After earning All-America accolades at Wayland (Mass.) High School, O'Shea played for some of the most successful squads in Boston College history. The Eagles won two Big East regular-season titles and earned four postseason tournament berths during his career. In his four years, BC advanced twice to the NCAA Tournament's "Sweet 16" and once to the "Elite Eight".

O'Shea earned a bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in English from Boston College in 1984, then added a master's degree in counseling/psychology from BC two years later.

He and his wife, Elizabeth, have an nine-year-old daughter, Madeleine.